Thank you, CM, your posts are usually good and sometimes just delightful. But I really needed that one today.
In case some of you don't know, Paypal requires a bank account number and a credit card number to open an account. Now it has your bank account as the default payment choice and you have to change that default every time you use your account. To change it to your credit card, you have to read the small print click to change it and then confirm that you really do want to use your credit card and not your bank account. Then if you go back a page it automatically defaults to your bank account again. Clearly, Paypal does not want you to use your credit card. They want you to trust them to do it for you and protect your purchase with their so called buyer protection.
Yes, I got tired of waiting for Wave and reluctantly signed up for paypal. To my regret. So their trick got me on my last purchase and they charged it to my bank account (which has very little money in it because I don't plan to give them a bank account number that has a lot of money in it (no brainer) So I contacted their "customer Service" THEY HAVE NO "CUSTOMER SERVICE". They have people(?) who have been trained to use no curtesy, common sense, reasoning or helpfulness. They have people who have been trained to quote that they can do nothing to help you and it is your fault.
So I told them that I was going to cancel my account and they couldn't or wouldn't even do that. So I politely informed them that there was a new technology that was coming out that was going to put them out of business and that I, for one, would be quit happy to see that happen. Clearly this kind of "customer service" requires me to cancel my account. Right? Right!!!! But to my dismay, in order to cancel my account I have to re enter my entire bank account number and my entire credit card number so they know that I am who I say I am. They say this is for MY security. Interesting. Let's see now, I only need to enter my password to spend money with on my accounts with Paypal, but to cancel my account I need to enter my bank account number and my credit card number in full and seend it over the internet. But the reason Paypal exists in the first place is because it isn't safe to send this information over the internet. Can anyone figure that out? If you can please tell me.
So now I will not only cancel my Paypal account but also my Ebay account because Ebay now runs Paypal. And then I will change my account numbers for both accounts that I used there because they would most likely keep it on file forever even after I close the accounts. AND THAT WILL BE THE END OF ME AS THEY KN0OW ME.
But for the rest of the world, we will all need new social security numberts, account numbers, addresses, etc. if we ever expect to opt out completely. The Government No Call list does work so if you haven't signed up yet I suggest you do it now.
One more question I have been wondering about. Why is Choice Point allowed to collect and sell personal information? They were not authorized by the individuals to even have access to their information were they? One or two credit bureau is bad enough tracking us all by SSN without or permission. Now it seems like anyone with a corporate ID can buy it and resell it.
Wave, please hurry. And maybe our grandchildren will escape the information collection monster. It is already to late for most of us. But that is the end of me for now. LOL
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